Hawaii's Energy Future

Renewable

Energy Sources

Wind Energy

LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:

> The Hawaii PUC has approved an agreement between First Wind and Hawaiian Electric Company for the utility to purchase wind energy produced by the proposed 69 MW Kawailoa Wind Project on Oahu’s North Shore, 12/13/11.

> Maui Electric has received approval from the Hawaii PUC on a 20-year contract for the company to purchase wind power from Sempra Generation's Auwahi Wind project on Maui, 6/16/11.

> Sempra Generation has entered a 20-year contract -- subject to PUC approval -- to sell wind power to Maui Electric from the Auwahi Wind project on Ulupalakua Ranch, 4/7/2011.

> The Kahuku Wind project commences commercial operations, 3/24/11

> A new study has found that large-scale wind and solar projects can be integrated on Oahu's electric grid, eliminating the need to burn approximately 2.8 million barrels of low sulfur fuel oil and 132,000 tons of coal each year, while maintaining system reliability, 3/17/11

> The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a power purchase contract that will clear the path for expansion of the existing Kaheawa wind farm in West Maui, 2/15/2011

> Hawaiian Electric and Castle & Cooke agree on pricing for wind power, 1/7/11.

>The Kahuku Wind project marked the start of construction with a groundbreaking ceremony at the project site on Oahu's North Shore.

> The State of Hawaii has selected AECOM to prepare an environmental impact statement for the proposed undersea island cable connecting the islands of Lanai, Molokai, Oahu and Maui.

> The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a power purchase agreement between Kahuku Wind Power and Hawaiian Electric Company for the utility to purchase renewable energy to be produced by the 30 megawatt (MW) wind energy project to be constructed on Oahu’s North Shore.

About wind energy

Wind energy is a converted form of solar energy. The sun's radiation heats different parts of the earth at different rates-most notably during the day and night, but also when different surfaces (for example, water and land) absorb or reflect at different rates. This in turn causes portions of the atmosphere to warm differently. Hot air rises, reducing the atmospheric pressure at the earth's surface, and cooler air is drawn in to replace it. The result is wind. A wind energy system transforms the kinetic energy of the wind into mechanical or electrical energy that can be harnessed for practical use.

Interisland Wind
Kahuku Wind
Kaheawa Wind Farm expansion
Auwahi wind project at Ulupalakua Ranch
Wind farm openings in 2007:
Wind farms openings in 2006:
Wind background
Where’s the wind?

Interisland Wind

The Interisland Wind project proposes to connect up to 400 megawatts of renewable wind energy from Molokai and Lanai via undersea cable to Oahu. The project would play an important part in helping to achieve the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative goal of 70 percent clean energy for electricity and ground transportation by 2030.

The State of Hawaii, First Wind Hawaii, Castle & Cooke and Hawaiian Electric Company are committed to working collaboratively with the public on the project, which has four major parts:

1) a 200 megawatt wind farm on Lanai;
2) a 200 megawatt wind farm on Molokai;
3) an interisland, undersea cable system connecting the wind farms to Oahu;
4) upgrades to the O‘ahu grid to enable integration of substantial amounts of intermittent wind power.

For Interisland Wind to go forward, the people of Lanai and Molokai must decide whether to accept the proposed wind farms and on what terms. Those discussions are underway. A recently completed study of the ocean floor between the islands – commissioned by the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism by the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa – found that there are feasible routes for the undersea cable.

In June 2010, the State of Hawaii selected AECOM, an environmental assessment and permitting firm, to perform an environmental impact study on the undersea cable project. Each part of the project – wind farms, undersea cable, Oahu grid upgrades – will be the subject of an environmental impact study. The four Environmental Impact Statements will be coordinated.

To learn more and comment on the plans, visit www.interislandwind.com.

Kahuku Wind

In August 2009, First Wind Hawaii and Hawaiian Electric Company reached an agreement for the utility to purchase as-available renewable energy produced by a 30-megawatt wind farm to be built on Oahu’s North Shore, west of Kahuku town in the hills near Charlie Road. In May 2010, the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission approved this purchase power agreement.

In March 2010, First Wind was offered a conditional commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy for a $117-million loan guarantee to finance the construction of the Kahuku Wind project. Construction on the wind farm began in July 2010.

In March 2011, First Wind held a ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the commencement of commercial operations for the 30 megawatt project. The Kahuku Wind farm consists of 12 Clipper Liberty wind turbines each having 2.5-megawatt capacity, and a battery system for energy storage to assist in meeting performance standards and smoothing fluctuations in wind energy output. The project also includes a microwave communication system to connect the wind farm to the Hawaiian Electric system operations and dispatch center.

Kahuku Wind Power began commercial operations in March 2011, and can provide enough energy to power the equivalent of about 7,700 Oahu homes while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 96 million pounds per year, according to statistics from the Energy Information Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy.

To protect the natural resources in the Kahuku area, First Wind has developed a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Division of Forestry and Wildlife in the State Department of Land and Natural Resources. First Wind also is the builder, owner and operator of the Kaheawa Wind Farm on Maui.

To learn more about Kahuku Wind, click here or watch the tv spot.

Kaheawa Wind Farm expansion

Kaheawa Wind Power progressing on expansion of its Maui wind farm by up to 21 megawatts (14 turbines) on 135 acres adjacent to the present 30 megawatt wind farm. Like Kaheawa I, Kaheawa II will also include a battery energy storage system, which would allow some excess wind power to be stored overnight for use during peak periods.

To learn more, visit www.kaheawa.com

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Auwahi wind project at Ulupalakua Ranch

In October 2009, Sempra Generation, a subsidiary of Sempra Energy, acquired Auwahi Wind Energy LLC from Shell WindEnergy Inc., a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell. Auwahi Wind is developing a 22-megawatt wind energy and battery storage project in Maui.

According toSempra Generation, the proposed wind project could begin construction in 2011 and commence commercial operations in 2012 on the Ulupalakua Ranch in the remote southeastern region of Maui.

To learn more, click here.

Wind farm openings in 2007:

The Apollo Energy Corporation's Pakini Nui 20.5 megawatt wind farm began operating at South Point on the "Big Island" of Hawaii.

Wind farms openings in 2006:

Big Island: Hawi Renewable Development, 10 megawatts

Maui: Kaheawa Pastures, 30 megawatts

Wind background

Wind energy development has increased substantially in recent years, helped by new technology and federal tax credits for wind production. The state of Hawaii offers 20% tax credits for qualified wind power installations, with residential customers receiving up to $1,500 in tax credits while commercial customers can get up to $500,000 in tax credits. Commercial wind turbines are connected to the electric utility grid to bring wind power to customers.

Hawaiian Electric operated a 200-kilowatt demonstration wind turbine for two years at Kahuku on Oahu’s North Shore, starting in 1980. It was the most productive of four demonstrations across the county. Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI), Hawaiian Electric’s parent company, owned and operated the multi-million dollar, nine-megawatt Kahuku Wind Farm from 1985 to 1993, when it was sold to New World Power which operated and then closed the facility in 1996.

From 1987 to 1993, HEI, with federal support, owned and operated a 3.2 megawatt Boeing-built turbine at Kahuku, at that time the world’s largest. Low production and equipment problems led to the sale and closure of the Kahuku Wind Farm, compounded by a decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to drastically reduce the price of oil. But the Kahuku projects helped advance wind technology and gave valuable experience to Hawaii utilities.

Since then, wind technology has vastly improved. For example, the Kahuku wind farm produced 9 megawatts of power from 15 turbines. Today, a single modern wind turbine can produce from 1.5 to 5 megawatts of power, depending on its size.

How wind energy works – U.S. Department of Energy

Where’s the wind?

To help identify the best sites for future wind farms, Hawaiian Electric Company, with the State Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), commissioned a study to develop new, high-resolution wind resource maps for all the islands in its service territories.